ame life into the Raptors. "I finally hit one, the

Salvador, Brazil - The United States did well to emerge from the "Group of Death," but the Americans are keen on making further waves in the World Cup, starting with Tuesdays clash with Belgium at the Arena Fonte Nova. You can listen to all the action on TSN Radio 1050 in Toronto, TSN Radio 690 in Montreal, TSN Radio 1200 in Ottawa, and TEAM 1410 in Vancouver beginning at 4pm et/1pm pt. After opening Group G play with a last-gasp 2-1 win over Ghana, the Americans looked certain to progress to the knockout round when they carried a one-goal lead into the final minute of stoppage time against Portugal. But a late goal from Silvestre Varela left the U.S. to fight Germany with a spot in the round of 16 at stake. The Yanks suffered a 1-0 defeat in the finale, but Portugals 2-1 victory over Ghana in Group Gs other contest was enough to put the U.S. through to the next round on goal difference. According to U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, advancing from the toughest group in the World Cup was a great accomplishment, but he does not want the Americans to be satisfied with that feat. "Its a great achievement to get out of this group and into the knockout rounds," Klinsmann said following the defeat to Germany. "It was a difficult game, both physically and mentally, because the knowledge that a draw would be enough was always at the back of our minds. We were a bit too nervous and showed them too much respect at the start but we calmed down as the match wore on. Weve got a great team and we put in a superb performance. We could have created a few more chances but overall Im satisfied. "It was one of the most difficult groups at the tournament. Ghana and Portugal are good teams and Germany are one of the favorites to win the title. Were still learning and growing as a team. Now everything starts from scratch again because the knockout rounds are very different." Klinsmann made waves before the start of the tournament by stating that the United States realistically could not win the World Cup, but he signaled his true ambition for the team by instructing the players to plan for a long stay in Brazil. "I think if everybody goes to his own personal limit in the context of the team, were going to go further in this tournament," he told reporters. "But youve got to realize that moment. So I asked everybody, all the players, to make sure that all their flights are booked after July 13 (the date of the final). Thats just how you have to approach a World Cup, no matter what happens now. You can always change your flights, so start with the end in mind. The end is July 13. "Every single day were going to have on the knockout stage, can we do it? Yes we can. This is now one of the benchmarks. We want to be in the top ten, top 12 of the world one day. So if we want to be there, this is now the moment." Belgium should provide a stern test for the Americans, though. The two nations have faced one another twice during Klinsmanns tenure as U.S. coach with Belgium coming out victorious on both occasions. But in the World Cup thus far, Belgium has been slightly underwhelming. The Red Devils claimed maximum points from their three matches of the group stage, but the performances have been rather unconvincing. At many times, Belgium has looked disjointed, as if the immensely talented individuals on the team were playing for themselves. The Americans, by contrast, have been a well-oiled unit playing off one another both in attack and in defense. Belgium, strong on paper, coming up against an American side that has been made to grind out results makes Tuesdays tussle at the Arena Fonte Nova one of the more intriguing clashes of the round of 16. Custom Tennessee Titans Jerseys . -- Brad Gushue of St. Tennessee Titans Jerseys . "Im not doing enough to help them," Durant told The Oklahoman on Monday of his 28-9 team. "Im shooting too much. Im shooting too many threes. Im not helping them out at all. http://www.titansstoreonline.com/Black-3...-Womens-Jersey/. Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Steve Mason, Philadelphia (4) - Mason was brilliant all night long with save after big save on Benoit Pouliot, Carl Hagelin and Derick Brassard. Bruce Matthews Jersey . Off-Season Game Plan examines a team facing some challenging times as GM Bryan Murray tries to put together a roster for next season. Perhaps the first challenge facing Murray is that its expected he will be moving out Jason Spezza, a premier point producer who is about to enter the final year of his contract. Warren Moon Jersey .Inter Milan and Napoli also advanced to ensure there will be at least three Italian clubs in the last 32 of Europes secondary competition.Spurs victory, secured by Benjamin Stamboulis 49th-minute winner, was overshadowed by a succession of pitch invasions that forced the referee to halt the game after 41 minutes.TORONTO -- On a whiteboard in the Toronto Raptors locker-room, someone had scribbled "81 more!" The Raptors ushered in a new NBA season with a victory Wednesday, but nearly squandered a 16-point lead before pulling away in the fourth quarter to beat the Boston Celtics 93-87. Instead of celebrating their first win, they talked about the work there is to be done. "A lot of work defensively," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said, on what the team needs. "Team shoots 48 per cent on you, thats not who we are, that not what we have to stand for. I thought we grinded it out." Rudy Gay topped Toronto with 19 points, Amir Johnson and DeMar DeRozan had 13 points apiece, while Kyle Lowry had 11 points and eight assists. Jonas Valanciunas grabbed 11 rebounds to go with eight points, while Tyler Hansbrough -- acquired in the off-season-- had a game-high 12 boards and seven points. "One game at a time, we have 81 more," said Gay. "Were just trying to get a good start, a cushion, because there are going to be times when you cant find a win, we want to prepare for that by getting these wins in the beginning. "Were in a pretty good spot, first game of the season, first real minutes weve played, plus we were coming off a whole week without playing" The Raptors shot 44 per cent, and outrebounded the Celtics 48-33. Bostons Jeff Green had 26 points to lead all scorers, while Brandon Bass added 17. Johnsons dunk early in the third quarter had put Toronto up by 16 points, but the Celtics chipped away at the deficit and when Bass scored on a putback dunk, it tied the game 71-71 with a quarter left. "Like I said at halftime, a team worth their salt in the NBA is going to make their run and they did I like the way our guys bounced back, but we should never put ourselves in that hole." When Johnson stepped back to drain a rare -- for him -- three-pointer to put Toronto up by four points with 6:21 to play, it brought the capacity crowd of 20,155 at the Air Canada Centre to its feet and injected some late-game life into the Raptors. "I finally hit one, they left me open," said Johnson, who grinned to his teammates as he backpedalled up the court after the shot. "(The fans) were kind of hyping me up, so I definitely had to shoot it. I knew it was good as soon as I released it." DeRozan scored with two-and-aa-half minutes to play to give Toronto a 10-point lead.dddddddddddd. Former Raptor Kris Humphries scored to pull the Celtics within five with under a minute to go, but that was as close as Boston would come. Canadian Kelly Olynyk, who was born in Toronto and moved to Kamloops, B.C., made his NBA regular-season debut, finishing with two points in 16 minutes for the Celtics. "Those guys, to their credit, they turned it up a notch and were pretty good for the rest of the way," said Boston coach Brad Stevens. "Gay and DeRozan made a bunch of tough shots. And those guys are really tough to handle." The night began with the traditional season-opening glitz and glamour. Players marched across a brightly lit stage to introductions while a drum line played. Gay took the mic and addressed the crowd, saying "Thanks for your support. Go Raps!" Jon Bon Jovi sat courtside sandwiched between Tim Leiweke, president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd., and Larry Tanenbaum, MLSEs chairman. Former Raptors fan favourite Morris Peterson was also at the game. The Raptors are hoping this is the season they finally end their playoff drought. They went 34-48 last season to miss the post-season for the fifth straight year, then Leiweke virtually cleaned house in the front office, most notably hiring Masai Ujiri to replace Bryan Colangelo as general manager. Management made few changes to the product on the floor, though, as all five starters Wednesday -- Lowry, DeRozan, Gay, Johnson and Valanciunas -- were back from last year, compared to this night last season when three of the starters were brand new. The Raptors had beaten Boston twice in the pre-season, winning six of seven exhibitions. The Celtics, who dealt veterans Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to Brooklyn in the off-season, went just 2-6. The Celtics led for the entire first quarter, despite a strong start for Valanciunas -- he hauled down six rebounds in the frame -- and Boston took a 26-21 lead into the second. Ross drained a three-pointer with two seconds left in the first half to cap a 12-0 Raptors run late in the second quarter and Toronto led 49-37 at halftime. A win over Boston was key to Torontos early season schedule, which is gruelling once again. Among the Raptors early opponents: two-time defending NBA champion Miami Heat, plus Houston, Memphis, Chicago and Brooklyn. 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